The Monopoly Versus the White House
"All those who gain power are afraid to lose it." -Darth Sidious As terrible as it is, the Monopoly owners gained their fortune by undercutting, bullying, and imposing their way to the top. They used dirty methods to control their world, and for a time they did. However, one man rose up to challenge them. Theodore Roosevelt. However, before the great Trust Buster could take his spot on stage, the board must first be layed out in prepartation for him. Someone not Afraid to Rattle the Cages *As the election 1896 neared, one man, William Jennings Bryan ran for president, he promised to bring down the large monopolies. He had the support of the working man who was pressed into harsh working conditions by Monopolies. Because of the support Bryan was recieving the Monopoly owners began to worry. Buying McKinley Worried that Bryan could win the election, the Big Three, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Morgan each pour out roughly $200,000 of personal money, to push their candidate, William McKinley into office. They used fear tactics and their influence to put McKinley in office, when McKinley wins the election, he rolls back regulations on big business and in turn makes more money for the Big Three. A New Contender A former New York aristocrat, and Spanish American War Hero, Teddy Roosevelt won the heart of the peole and the position of Govenor of New York. As Govenor he worked to protest and boycott Big Business in New York, constantly throwing wrenches in the works of Monopolies. Paralyzing Roosevelt New York Governor Teddy Roosevelt, spoke out profoundly against Big Business. In the 1900 election, J.P. Morgan and John Rockefeller, growing concerned that Roosevelt may impead them, inadventatley made Roosevelt the Vice Presidential Candidate in the upcoming election, where McKinley would run for re-election. When McKinley won the election Teddy Roosevelt was trapped in a powerless politcal position unless the president died. The Beginning of the End When on tour, a year into his second term, an angry factory worker shoots McKinley, causing him to die. Now Roosevelt becomes the leader of the free world. He starts his work the day he is sworn in. Roosevelt V.S. Morgan Roosevelt sues J.P. Morgan's Northern Securites Corporation, Morgan's Railroad company, for being a trust and wins in Supreme Court. Roosevelt wins and Northern Securities is dissolved and broken into several tiny railroad companies. Roosevelt went on to bust Morgan's banking and textile trusts. Roosevelt V.S. Rockefeller Roosevelt fought Rockefeller many times in Supreme Court, breaking uphis various trusts. In total he busted forty-four of his trusts, these trusts were in the transportation, electrical, mining, and oil industries. When Roosevelt went after Rockefeller's largest trust, Standard Oil, Rockefeller goes on the run, hiding from multiple supenas. He finally gives in to the courts when his grandson his born. An aged John D. Rockefeller appears in court and watches the Oil empire he build be split into thirty other companies. Legacies Even though Roosevelt only served one term as President of the United states others would go on to defeat the trusts that Roosevelt didn't. Roosevelt set the example for other to people to prevent the rise of monopolies again. Taft's Screw-up William Howard Taft, the man who suceeded Theodore Roosevelt, was a terrible President. He was lazy, did very little, and stopped almost all of the work that Roosevelt began in Trust Busting. Taft only took down one trust, and that was the only trust Roosevelt deemed useful and not too corrupt. He took down U.S. Steel and broke it down. He did a terrible job of it, but broke it up no less. The Recent Break-Ups One of the more recent break-ups in U.S. Monopoly history was the breaking up of "the phone company" a stupid move, on the government's part, allowing competion and therefore, eventual raised rates from multiple companies, opposed an unchanging rate from a single company. The most recent monopoly break up was not an true trust bust, but more of the creation of multiple companies to give more options to the public. This break up was companies like UPS and Fed Ex appearing taking business away from the Post Office, the private mail and delivery trust.